Last season Wesleyan defeated CNU 78-70 on its own floor. That game was an early test as was this one.

Wesleyan forward Percy Slight's tip-in at the buzzer gave his team the victory in the latest meeting between the two teams.

``We just need to learn from tonight, the mistakes we made and go forward positively,'' said CNU coach C.J. Woollum.

CNU took a 70-68 lead on Mike Holland's 3-pointer with 5:06 remaining in the game. The Marlins could not regain the lead, but cut it to one 74-73 on Jason Nickerson's basket with :40 left.

Two Marlins swarmed Holland and officials called a jump ball, which on the alternating possession went over to Wesleyan. The Marlins missed two shots, with Slight missing both free throws with :17 left on the clock.

At that point Wesleyan fouled CNU twice to try to get them into the one-and-one, which it did on the second foul. The Captains' Matt Bryant missed the front end of a one-and-one, Wesleyan rebounded and A.J. Hamlin flew down the court with the ball.

After two misses by his teammates bounced off the rim, Slight tipped the ball in as the buzzer sounded.

The game had been a fast-paced affair all the way. Each team substituted frequently to keep fresh legs running and the number of half-court possessions was few.

``They hurt us big on transition baskets,'' said Wesleyan coach Terry Butterfield. ``They just got the ball out and whipped us down the floor.''

Bryant led CNU with 22 points. Post player Steven Butler had 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds despite sitting about 7:00 of the second half with four fouls.

Point guard Tim Petrillo scored 16 points for the Marlins and Hamlin had 13.

``We make a few plays at the end and we win,'' Woollum said. ``We didn't finish the game, that's all there is to it. We force them into a terrible shot and then they end up getting three shots.''

Butler said he didn't think the game was won or lost in the final seconds.

``It was real hectic there at the end, but we're still supposed to block out and do the right things,'' Butler said. ``We didn't lose on one play. It was a collective thing of what we were doing all night long. That's why we lost.''

The score was 40-all at the half after a run-and-gun first half. CNU led by as many as seven points, but it was close the last eight minutes of the half.

CNU hosts its invitational this weekend at Ratcliffe Gym. The Captains will play Apprentice Friday at 8 p.m. in the first round.